Ethics of military photos in Coutu flier scrutinized

Friday

Oct 5, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 5, 2012 at 5:02 AM

A campaign flier from state Senate candidate Chris Coutu is being examined by a Connecticut National Guard ethics officer, chiefly over the use of in-uniform photographs, a Guard spokesman said. Coutu said he stands behind the piece.

JAMES MOSHER

A campaign flier from state Senate candidate Chris Coutu is being examined by a Connecticut National Guard ethics officer, chiefly over the use of in-uniform photographs, a Guard spokesman said. Coutu said he stands behind the piece.

Col. John Whitford, spokesman for the Connecticut Army National Guard, confirmed Thursday that the glossy, fold-out mailing, sent to homes in the state’s 19th Senate District this week, is “being looked at” after Coutu declined to submit the document for ethics review prior to its release. Coutu, a lieutenant in the Army National Guard, is “entitled” to a review prior to distributing campaign materials, but is not required to submit them, Whitford said.

The piece includes two photos of Coutu in uniform and one of him wearing military fatigues. Under all of them are disclaimers saying the photographs do not imply U.S. Department of Defense endorsement. Whitford praised Coutu’s use of disclaimers but said the entire document, including the candidate’s statements about his military history, would be examined.

“The DOD regulation is up to interpretation,” Whitford said. “If they (soldiers) decide to send it (advertising) out, that is their business. The preference is to keep the military status out of it, out of the (political) campaign.”

Coutu said he “feels really good about the piece,” adding that it gives an accurate representation of his service to country, state, community, and family.

“I’ve gotten 100 responses to that thing, and all of them have been positive,” he said Thursday.
He called the review “standard operating procedure.”

The procedure has been done with other military personnel running for office and is preliminary to a possible ethics investigation, Whitford said.

“We want to make sure he stays within the guidelines,” he said.

Coutu is also a Republican two-term state representative from Norwich. He is running for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, who is retiring. His opponent is Democratic Sprague First Selectman Cathy Osten, a Democrat and an Army veteran. The two competed for a state House seat two years ago, a race that Coutu won.

Coutu blamed the Osten campaign for allegations surrounding his flier.

“When a campaign is getting nowhere, then desperation sets in,” he said.

“Cathy is proud of her actions,” Gilchrist said. “Military service is extremely admirable. People should judge the candidates on their actions, including on veterans issues.”

The review wasn’t triggered by a specific complaint from any one person, Whitford said.

Coutu said he has submitted past advertising materials for military review but didn’t submit this one because “it wasn’t anything controversial.”

“We’ve complied with all the rules,” he said.

Whitford affirmed Coutu’s statement on previous advertising.

“He has submitted them in the past, but not this most recent mailer,” Whitford said. Coutu has never been disciplined over past advertising, he added.

Whitford declined to estimate how long the review is expected to take. Voting takes places on Nov. 6, a little more than a month from today. There is no particular urgency to conclude the review before the election, Whitford said.

Coutu said he wasn’t aware of the review until The Bulletin told him about it on Thursday.